Finally Fall!

It finally feels like Fall outside!  We have enjoyed spending our recess outside in the cooler temperatures! Now that your children might be bringing sweatshirts or light jackets to school, please make sure their name is labeled on the inside.  Many of these items end up in the Lost and Found and it is so much easier for everyone if they are labeled.  This is also a good time to work with your child on zipping and buttoning their own coat.

A look at our learning this week...

Fundations: we learned lowercase s and d. These letters can be quite tricky, but overall the class did great with them!  

Please use the following verbal prompts when helping your child form these letters:

s-over, around, curve OR make a little c and curve

d-over, around, up, down OR c turns into a d

We have talked a lot this week how over letters need to start with a "hill".  When your mouth says over, your pencil needs to go over like a "hill".  If it doesn't, the letters won't connect correctly when they go around to make the rest of the formation.  This is very tricky for some of them.  

Watch your child when they form over letters to see if they are making a "hill" first. 

Over letters we have learned: a, c, d, f, g, o, s

Shared Reading: we were so excited to begin learning word wall words this week!  Please check your child's "Take Home" Folder for their very first spelling test to see how they did.  There is also a note that explains how they get points and how I score the test.  I always let the children know that is is okay if they miss a point, that just tells them they need to practice that one more.  I will never be upset with them, and neither will their parents, as this is how we learn!  The spelling test is just a way to see how they are doing on the new words of the week and should not be something they feel pressure from.  Thank you for practicing the word of the week, am, at home with your child.  I can tell many of you did by how confident they seemed taking their first test!

We read the big book We Are and the poem I am me this week.  Both of these featured our new word wall word am over and over.  They now have their own copies of the book and poem to keep and read in their book box.  

Reading our poem with one to one match!

Writing Workshop: check out what we've been working on during writing time

There are so many things we can write stories about!

In Kindergarten we color neatly

Learning how to add print to our stories

Check out Hudson using the label "ice cream" in his story about going to Andy's!

Math: One of the things we worked on during math this week was sorting.  We are learning there are many different ways you can sort: by color, shape, size, how many holes buttons have, types of transportation, etc. You can see ways that some of our friends sorted this week.
Check your child's Friday Folder for more ways to help with sorting and other math objectives at home.

Friday craft: we read the Halloween book Boo, Bunny! by Kathryn O. Galbraith and made Candy Corn Bandits/Ninjas for our craft!  Our room is looking very festive for the upcoming holiday!  This class LOVES Halloween and talk about it non-stop!

 Classroom goals: this week we met our first classroom goal and celebrated with a pajama day!  They looked so cute!  We have been working since school began to earn 20 compliments from the specialists teachers. (art, music, P.E., media,library and counselor).  We have decided our next goal would focus on playing with our toys at center time kindly, gently, appropriately and getting along with our friends when we play.  Once we earn 20 stickers for this goal the kids voted and decided they want their next reward to be a pajama, popcorn and movie day!  

A few more fun pictures from the week